Blaze in the Labyrinth
by Inita
Summary: Moving from the prosperous Jibral to the ratty Talta was not what Kluke had in mind. She also was not expecting to cross paths with several, unique people. She also did not expect that they were very much alike her, and the secret she held in Jibral would fall closer to a dangerous exposure.
1. Chapter 1

**God I have not seen this fanfic in ages... Thought I lost it... In any case, this was a Blue Dragon fanfic I had written that had exactly 95 reviews. It was the second most reviewed story behind Yamadori's "White Day", and I deleted it.**

**Read on.**

* * *

Her stomach was twisted in knots. But perhaps for her first day, that was normal. Right? Yes, it was normal; especially if she was going to enter a school full of students she never met before in her whole life. Growing up in Jibral, a castle town full of luxury, was nothing compared to the ratty, Talta Village. The place was surrounded by a desert and the actual town was... poor looking, almost. Kluke wasn't used to sand constantly getting in her shoes everywhere she went. She remembered arriving in the new house, pulling off a shoe and dumping out the sand.

Standing in front of the mirror, she tugged at the red bow in her hair. The school hadn't called for any uniforms, so that was always good. Sometimes. Her black dress swayed freely as she moved, not having the yellow sash to restrain its movements. Kluke snatched up the cloth and hastily tied it around her abdomen(1). Quickly, she darted in front of the mirror again, checking the outfit (with the sash) for the _fifth_ time that morning. After twisting this way and that to make sure everything was in place, she nodded and hurried downstairs.

She lived in a two story house with her mother – her father had passed away due to an illness that she was never fully let in on. It...angered her, so to say, that her mother wasn't telling her anything. However, the hostile feelings would melt away whenever they were with each other. Whether it be at the table or just out in public; the feelings were always different. Perhaps this was just a trivial grudge that she'd have to suck up.

Heaving a sigh, Kluke pulled on a small, red pack(2) and pulled open the door. "Bye mom, I'm leaving!" She called from the front door. After receiving a reply that sounded suspiciously like a "'Kay, have a nice day!", Kluke nodded to herself and walked out the house.

/

Biting on her lower lip, she quickly turned the dial of her locker, putting in the combination. Kluke hoped she remembered; the only thing she brought with her to school was her class schedule. She let out a sigh of relief, however, when the locker door cooperated and opened. Quickly unpacking her bag, she put in the unnecessary items and took out the ones she needed (Kluke had visited Talta Village's school during orientation and had dropped off a few notebooks and folders in the process).

When everything was all finished, she stood, supplies in hand, and closed the door. She made the way down to her first class, which was in room 219. Though, she wouldn't have minded having someone navigate her; the map was confusing and hard to decipher.

As if on cue, a girl with grayish-toned hair pulled up in pigtails, walked over. She was adorning a short blue dress (a bit _too_ short) with a white apron overtop. (Kluke couldn't help but notice that the dress showed off how big her chest was.) The girl had knee-high stockings and blue flats with a lavender overhang. On her forearms all the way to her wrists were blue sleeves. However, they weren't connected to the dress in any way. Her eyes were an odd shade of lavender, but they seemed to say "Welcome!"

She smiled and when Kluke returned one, the girl finally spoke. "Hi! I haven't seen you around here before. What's your name, anyway?"

Kluke blinked. Her approach was certainly different from what she expected. "My name is Kluke. And you?"

The girl bowed. "I'm Bouquet. And I was wondering..." She gestured to the paper in the other's hand. "...If you needed someone to escort you to class. The map is poorly drawn in my opinion." (Here she pouted.) "I remember getting lost before the bell even rang." (Now she was smiling, eyes sparkling almost.) "But then this boy helped me. He had the same class as me for first period, so we went together. Though sadly... when we got to the class, he was dragged away from me by someone else. It seemed as if he already had a group to hang out with."

"Did you, by any chance, get his name?" Kluke began walking, hoping Bouquet would follow. To her astonishment, she did.

"I didn't ask him to his face, but I heard one of the boys say "Shu"..." She remained quiet for a while. Shooting a glance at the map, she ran ahead of Kluke a bit. "This way."

/

The math room had two boards in the front and back of the room. Desks were aligned in a row, five rows in total. On the opposite side of the door was a window that spanned across the wall's width, giving a good sight of the parking lot below. Textbooks were stacked in piles on the counter near the window, neatly. Other than that, there wasn't much save for the teacher's desk and a computer.

Ironically, both Bouquet and Kluke had the same class together. The latter had thought the girl was only roaming the school hallways searching for any other friends or classmates. The once-peppy girl was now quiet as she gazed at a group made of three boys and two girls. She, Kluke, was so caught up in her ogling that she only half heard what Bouquet had said.

"That's him..."

"Hmm?" She turned her head towards Bouquet.

"The boy with spiky hair. Er, he's the one who has his hair pulled back; I don't know the other one." (Bouquet quickly threw in the last part.) "I only know Shu, that's it. I think though, the one with the short brown hair? Yeah, him? I think they're best friends; he's the one who pulled Shu away from me that day."

Kluke narrowed her eyes at this. "Really..."

He looked to be about her age, just a tad bit taller. His hair was dark brown with a stray lock that almost fell in front of his right eye. The attire he adorned consisted of a black turtleneck covered up by a green tunic with a belt, and white pants. She couldn't help but notice he seemed a bit... anxious. It was the way his eyebrows seemed to be knitted together, almost. And suddenly... their eyes met, briefly. Brown eyes stared at green before averting to the rest of his group. He muttered a few unheard words before they all moved out of sight.

Bouquet sighed. "They're such an odd pair... I just want to talk to Shu, but..."

_BRING!_

The bell had rung, and the teacher was in. He had quickly started with a greeting and briefly introduced Kluke (thankfully, he hadn't asked her to share anything with the class). Then, seats were assigned and, much to her astonishment, Kluke was seated right behind the boy with the green tunic. As class dragged by, not once had he turned around to face her. But _she_ stared at _him_. It wasn't as if she had to (there was always the board), though there was something odd. For a brief second, Kluke thought she saw him look over his shoulder before turning to face the front of the room. The entire situation had filled her with anxiety and she could feel sweat beading up on the inside of her palms.

'_Snap out of it, Kluke. He's just a regular school kid who's ignoring you._' Not even this thought was enough to convince her everything was alright.

Before she knew it, the bell had rung for the second time that day, and the students all left in a hurry. Kluke let out a sigh, leaning back in her seat. She smiled and began to gather her books as Bouquet stood next to her. "That class seemed to go by quickly, huh?" Bouquet said, trying to strike up conversation.

Kluke nodded. "Yeah," She replied simply, pulling out her schedule. "I have English next... what about you?"

The other girl sighed. "I don't. I have Biology next." She brightened up, nonetheless. "Which room is it?"

"Um..." Kluke scanned over the schedule. "Room 114."

"That class is easy to find, so I wouldn't worry too much." Bouquet assured. "It's on the first floor and if you take a certain staircase..." She gestured to the stairs near the foreign language rooms. "...They'll lead you to your next class. Just look to the right and you should be able to find room 114."

Kluke responded with: "Thanks. And we have lunch period four, right?" When she received a nod, she continued, "Great, I'll see you then." Kluke smiled at her friend before taking off down the hall to her second class.


	2. Chapter 2

The second class had gone by pretty quickly, despite being the first day of school. Kluke hadn't met anyone she was willing to talk to, so English was just quiet for her. Of course, there was one boy from the group she had seen earlier. Right before he was able to leave the class, Kluke had bravely confronted him. She had to admit, she didn't like the people that Shu kid was hanging around with; they seemed so bizarre. Nonetheless... this one was wearing a short green tunic over a sea green t-shirt. His hair was spiked up and they jutted out every which way and around his wrists were gray bands. He glanced at her before turning back to his work.

Finally, after what seemed a century, he spoke. "Hey. Are you the new kid everyone's talking about?" Though he mustered up enough courage to speak, he still didn't look at her.

Kluke nodded. "Yes. How'd you...?" She shook her head, discarding the previous question. "Um, my name is Kluke. And you're...?" _Wow, this was awkward for a first meeting._

"Randel." Was the short reply and, when a brief moment of silence passed by, he ventured further, looking at her this time. "Do you need help getting around the school? I've been here for about a year, but I've got the layout memorized and all. Well, that's what I say... According to Ran(1), I still manage to get us lost and..." Randel clammed up after this. The next words that came out were devoid of emotion. "Never mind. I need to get to my next class. Sorry for wasting your time." As he maneuvered around her, Kluke stopped him.

"Wait! I've just been wondering... Who are those people you were hanging out with in math class?"

_Oops._

_Shouldn't have said that._

His face hardened, but beneath that cold stare was a perplexed look. "They're my friends. Why?"

She swallowed, eyes cast to the ground. "Well it's just... Never mind." With that, Kluke edged around him and darted out the door.

/

Third period was biology, which looked exactly like an average biology room would look like. A dead bat was hung up on the wall (my, isn't that lovely?), the blackboard was directly behind the teacher's desk; student seats were arranged alphabetically and in rows. Behind the rows were long, black topped tables used for labs most likely. Cabinets hung over the tables and were full of beakers and other tools. A diagram of a flower's 'inside' was directly above the board. Other than that, papers were crudely stacked on the teacher's desk and student's seats looked as if someone had scribbled pencil markings on the surface.

It was here, after the bell where she met a boy whose name was, Andropov. To her relief, he didn't hang out with Randel's group at all. He did have a few other friends, but they weren't in his biology class at the moment. She tried asking him about the kids in her math class, but he was just as clueless as she.

"Sorry, Kluke. I've seen them before, but I don't know much. I have heard of Randel, but from the sounds of it, he's not the one constantly pulling the youngest away from others." Andropov responded once class was over. By then, both had decided to head to the cafeteria from there, together.

"It's fine." Kluke said, waving a hand as if it weren't a big deal. She nodded in acknowledgement as Bouquet ran up to her.

"Yes, but..." He shook his head, and walked away with a, "See you around, Kluke."

Both girls were able to get their food without much difficulty; usually lines were long, but not today. When they sat down, Bouquet cleared her throat. "You know, I figured out more about that group over there." Kluke looked in the direction her friend was pointing. Not only were the boys and girls from her math class there, but two other people were there too. One was a tall male with blond hair pulled back and bright blue eyes. The way he acted seemed as if he were brought up from royalty. The other was a female with mid-back white, silver-toned hair. She wore a bandana with a skull embroidered in the middle around her head.

They looked a bit too old to be in the school, but Kluke knew little about the board's system, so she didn't comment. She was, however, tempted to ask Bouquet what grades the building went up too, but said nothing.

"Alright are you listening? That girl with the braided pigtails name is Sahlia. From what I've heard..." Bouquet frowned. "...she has a crush on Shu. The other girl with the pigtails is Chiffon, but everyone calls her Ran. I've heard she doesn't like that nickname, but I don't know for sure. Now the oldest of the girls... yeah, the one with the bandana? Her name is Zola and she's very close to the tall boy over there."

Kluke wouldn't even title that man as a boy... again, nothing was said.

"I've heard that guy Zola's with is part of the Jibral royal heirloom. He goes by the name "Jibral", but I don't know if that's his true name(2)... Now you know Shu, but the other spiky haired kid is... Oh, you know him Kluke?" (She quickly explained what happened in English class; Bouquet replying with another "Oh...") "Sorry, didn't know. Um, the one who dragged Shu away from me? He also sits in front of you in math class. His name is Jiro."

_'__Jiro, huh?'_ He was sitting next to Shu, who was chatting idly with Sahlia (much to Bouquet's dismay). Unlike his other friends though, he was reading rather than eating. Kluke couldn't see what book it was (nor did she know what was on his tray), but for some odd reason, she wanted to know.

"Let them be."

Kluke turned to Bouquet with a startled look. "Huh? "

The other was surprisingly serious. "I... wouldn't mess with them. If there's one in particular you want to speak about, then I'd see if you can catch them alone. Like you did with Randel, remember?" Her expression changed from serious to stumped. "I want to speak to Shu, but..." She sighed. "Jiro doesn't seem to let him wonder far from their friends. You'd think he was the overprotective brother..."

Though listening and trying to process a reply, Kluke couldn't help but notice a small Devee (why was a Devee in Talta?) walk over to the table. He said something unheard before leaping into Zola's arms. He sat on her lap after the two exchanged dialogue, grinning widely.

"So Bouquet... why shouldn't we interfere?"

"They're just... odd. There's something odd about that group." The girl replied, taking a sip of her water. "Even the atmosphere around them is indifferent."

For once, Kluke didn't have anything to counter with. Not even a trivial question.

/i

A few heads had darted up as she walked into the study hall room. Typical guys who were really losers, who couldn't get a date, smiled and snickered. Girls were bitchier than the guys; some rolled their eyes and others just gave Kluke a look before turning to their other friends. Some just looked up and went back to what they were doing, coming to the conclusion that she was just a student. Nothing else. In a matter of seconds, they all went back to their usual routine; talking amongst themselves, reading, working on homework.

From the table her and Bouquet were looking at during lunch, it was revealed that Sahlia was in the same study hall as her. She was quiet in comparison to everyone else in the room. Sahlia had noticed Kluke and smiled before turning back to her reading. During the course of the class, Kluke had decided to go up to the girl. "Do you mind if I sit next to you?" She quickly tried searching for an excuse, but realized that the question was just fine by itself.

Sahlia looked surprised at first, but shook her head. "No, it's fine." She smiled sheepishly. "I actually need someone to talk to at the moment."

Kluke nodded, taking a seat next to the girl. "So... how long have you been in the district?"

"Throughout elementary." Was the reply as she dog-eared the page she was currently on. "My parents don't move that much, which is fine seeing how I have close friends." When Kluke hadn't spoken, Sahlia gave her an utterly puzzled look and asked, "What's wrong? You look as if something's bugging you."

'_It wouldn't hurt to ask, would it?_' "I've actually..."

Sahlia leaned forward, finding it difficult to hear this new girl.

"I was wondering... how is it hanging out with those kids that sit with you during lunch?" She held her breath when the reply wasn't thrown at her immediately.

"Oh, well..." Sahlia looked away for a moment. "...they're nice, I suppose."

'_That was a...wonderful answer._' Kluke thought bitterly; maybe she shouldn't pry too much. "Why'd you choose them?"

The girl nervously tugged at the binder string. "Well... we all had something in common. It was different from everyone else, see?"

She pushed the matter a bit further. "Could you tell me a bit about that one boy...?"

Sahlia turned to her, confused. "Which one?"

'_What was his name? Oh, right-'_ Kluke swallowed. "Jiro."

"Hmm..." The girl lifted a hand up to her mouth before replying. "I can't say much, but..." She smirked, looking at Kluke now. "If you like him, you may as well look for someone else. Trust me, a few girls have tried, but failed. I was tempted to ask until Shu came in, of course."

Kluke flushed a deep shade of red. "N-No, I-I didn't m-mean t-that! I was just curious that's all."

Sahlia laughed, the sound like wind chimes almost. "I was just kidding. Oh, before I continue, I realized I haven't even introduced myself." She pointed to herself. "I'm Sahlia, nice to meet you."

"My name is Kluke." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you too."

A simple nod of the head. "So... Jiro, right? I guess you could say, right next to Jibral, he's always looking out for us. Not to mention he excels in school subjects like math and technology. His best friend is Shu and well..." She frowned. "Due to his past, he's very cautious over who goes with who. It can get annoying, but I feel grateful at the same time. It's pretty difficult to earn his trust, to sum it up.

Sahlia shook her head. "I don't know much about him, but I do know about Shu. He is probably the youngest out of our group. Of course, there's Marumaro, but he doesn't hang around at our table as much. Anyway, Shu is the opposite of Jiro; it's not that his grades are awful, but they're average. Unlike his friend, Shu is... rash. More of a "shoot first, ask questions later" type of guy."

As the conversation droned on, Kluke learnt that Randel and Chiffon (Ran) had grown up together and were, by far, inseparable. Jibral and Zola were also very close, but they didn't show it as much as the other two. Sahlia, no doubt, had a crush on Shu that matched Bouquet's in intensity. By the time the bell had rung, Kluke left Sahlia (thanking her for the information) and was on her way to sixth period, but was stopped in her tracks by someone unfamiliar. It was Jiro.

Kluke wanted to talk and ask what was with him and his friends, but she couldn't find the words. It was only then did she realize he wasn't that bad-looking, the only thing that kept him on the border between "bad" and "good" was the hostility in his eyes.

"I have some advice for you," he started, voice cold, yet so calm at the same time. "Stay out of our business; you don't know what you're _dealing_ with."

She decided to reply, "I may not know what exactly I'm "dealing" with, but that won't stop me from trying to find out what's going on." Kluke was rather grateful that her voice hadn't shook.

Jiro narrowed his eyes, teeth gritted. He looked as if he were about to speak, but changed his mind and turned, heading in the opposite direction. Once he was gone, she couldn't help but feel a bit relieved. Of course, she was a bit infuriated by the way he talked to her, but she wasn't _completely_ angry at him.

Kluke shook her head and continued on her way to period six. '_Could today get any weirder?_'


	3. Chapter 3

The rest of the day had gone by quicker than Kluke had expected – no drama, which was always good. But she still couldn't stop thinking about Jiro and the rest of his group. They _were_ odd; judging by the way Sahlia acted, there was more to them than meets the eye. When she had arrived back home – giving a summary to her mother on how the day was – Kluke escorted herself to her room, beginning to work on homework and the like. However, concentration was far from her reach – she couldn't take her mind off of them.

She shook her head, trying to clear away all disrupting thoughts. No sense worrying about it tonight; there was always tomorrow. And the day after that, and then the day after that, and so on.

/

Deciding something different for a change, Kluke had decided on a pink turtleneck-like dress with the same yellow sash, but with a yellow bow. She pulled out from underneath the bed small, white boots with a yellow fold. '_In all honesty_,' Kluke thought as she began messing with the bow. '_I'm surprised this school doesn't have uniforms. I mean a lot of students wear outfits that seem a bit inappropriate, but..._' She curled her lips, an image of her friend popping up in her conscious. Mentally shrugging, she turned, grabbed the bag and left the house not so long afterwards.

Said friend, Bouquet had spotted her almost immediately that Tuesday and they walked to class together. Like yesterday. She seemed, Kluke noted, a bit more cheerful than she had on the first meeting. "I didn't have the chance to tell you this, but I was able to finally speak to Shu!" the girl exclaimed, smiling widely.

Kluke returned one of her own and said, "That's great. What'd he say?"

"Hold on a minute! I want to tell you not just what he said, but _how_ we ran into one another." She clapped her hands together, clearing her throat as if she were about to begin an endless tale. Well... in Bouquet's case it _would_ be endless. "So I decided to go shopping the other day for new outfits. You know, my old waitress one is getting old." Unintentionally, she changed the subject, albeit just a bit. "Hey, do you want a new outfit, Kluke? I was just wondering in case you get bored with the usual attires. That's what happened to me last year and it wasn't exactly fun; seeing all these girls walk by in new shirts and pants..."

"Sure. When, though?" Personally, Kluke wouldn't mind a girl's day out. Maybe it'd take her mind off of Jiro and the others... probably not. But anyway, she swore she was going to grow tiresome of the same dresses and shirts.

"I was thinking Friday after school. Or how about Saturday? I can't plan anything Sunday because that's when I work at the café. Is that alright with you?" Kluke didn't even have time to reply, for Bouquet hopped back to the Shu-topic. "Right, where was I? Oh yeah. We met each other at the store the other day. He seemed a bit upset and I think it was because he was told to get a new pair of shirts and shorts. But yeah, I talked to him and he's actually really nice. I mean, of course we both knew that, but it's a bit different actually talking to him for more than five seconds." She giggled, putting a hand up to her mouth.

The previous conversation about shopping had sapped up the majority of their time. When she finally took in her surroundings, they were already in the classroom. It was also then, Kluke realized, that she hadn't responded to Bouquet's rant save for a simple nod of the head or "Mmm". The words that came out of Kluke's mouth were a bit unpredictable (even to her). "Did he tell you anything about... you know, Jiro or any of his other friends?"

Bouquet paused, averting her gaze to the ground. "No, I don't recall." She took a seat, elbow propped up on the desk adjacent to her. When she finally leaned against her opened palm, Bouquet added, "I've...actually been wondering myself, Kluke. Why are you so interested in the whole group? I mean it's one thing if it were just one person (like Shu), but why all of them?"

She shrugged, throat suddenly dry, limiting her chance of responding. "I'm just...curious, that's all."

The other looked ready to respond, but the bell rang, cutting her off. And the next thing she knew, Kluke was already in her seat, behind Jiro. Like last time, she filled up with anxiety, biting down on her lower lip. When she was called on to answer, the question caught her off guard (it wasn't that she didn't _know_ the right answer) and her wit wasn't quick enough to send the response out of her mouth. So instead she gaped and stuttered, face red with embarrassment. Kluke let out a huff; chin resting on the desk's surface when the teacher directed the question to another.

/

"What I told you yesterday is pretty much all I know about Shu and the others. When I talked to him, we only chatted about school work and... well, whatever people talk about on first greetings." Bouquet said, taking a small sip of chocolate milk. After putting down the carton, she continued, "You said you spoke to Randel the other day, right? Did he say anything?"

Kluke shook her head. "He started, but I didn't get to hear much. Though I did speak to Sahlia in study hall and—"

Whoops. Wrong words.

"You spoke to Sahlia?! What'd she say? Does she like Shu or not? Is it true? Is it, Kluke? Is it?" Bouquet demanded, suddenly face to face with her friend.

The girl blinked a few times before responding. "Not that I know of. I mean she talked more about Jiro because... Well, I asked about him more than I had Shu." She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry to disappoint you with the news." Kluke slid down the bench just a tad bit (that way Bouquet wasn't up in her face) and paused. Something sanguine was streaked across the seat – almost like those tire marks people saw on the road almost every day. Kluke stood up and backed away from the seat. "Hey, by any chance, did you get ketchup or is that...?"

Bouquet's eyes widened and she held a hand to cover her mouth. "Uh, Kluke? Do you mind turning around? Just try not to draw too much attention." After following the command, Bouquet stood up. "We're going to the nurse's office. It's that time of month for you."

Oh. Great. Second day and she's already had an accident.

/

The bell had rung yet again, signaling the end of the lunch period. Kluke was currently in the nurse's lounge, waiting for her mother to drop off a new set of clothes. She sighed, leaning back in the seat. How embarrassing...? Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? She had experienced the minor signs and all that other crap so why hadn't she bothered to bring a padding along? And why did she wear that blasted pink dress?!

Suddenly, the door swung open and a boy with dark brown, spiky hair walked in. He exchanged a few words before taking a seat opposite of Kluke. A quick glance was shot her way and at first, Kluke didn't Shu was going to speak, but he said, "Hey, I heard... well, saw what happened. Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

"That's good." He grinned. "I'm Shu, by the way. And you're...?"

"Kluke."

"Oh."

A brief silence passed over, but Kluke was able to break the ice. "So, why are you here?"

Shu waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, it's just a check up for track. My grandpa hadn't taken me to the doctor for the sports form, so I have to get checked here." A voice called from the other room, and he stood. "Well I gotta go. Nice talking to you, Kluke." He shot her another grin before running into the other room.

Well, for being in such an odd, quiet group, he was certainly more open with his feelings.

/

By the second time that day she ran into Shu, it was after study hall. Kluke couldn't help but wonder why he looked a bit...anxious. She cleared her throat and called, "Shu!"

He started and turned to meet her with a shocked expression adorning his features. However, it vanished when he realized who it was and he smiled. "Hey, Kluke. How are things going for your second day?" Shu gestured to the new outfit she had on that day. It wasn't really Kluke's "style" or cup of tea, but it'd work after surviving the previous incident.

"Pretty good. Where are you headed to next?"

He fumbled around his school supplies and pulled out his schedule from one of the notebooks in his arms. Shu laughed. "I still don't have my schedule memorized. Ah, let's see... oh, I have Honors next." He then hastily shoved it back into the planner.

"Honors, huh?" Kluke raised an eyebrow at this. "Good for you."

"Thanks. I was recruited by my eight grade English teacher and so I took the offer. It's sorta hard to believe too. I mean I was never in any advanced classes. And—"

He was cut off by a, "Hey Shu!" The two looked over and the person was revealed to be Sahlia, who was waiting by the main staircase. "Come on! We have to get to our next class, quickly! Didn't you say you forget about the assignment from last night?" Shu let out a sigh. He turned to Kluke and apologized. "Sorry, I gotta go. You know..." He hesitated here. "We should, you know, talk more. I enjoyed the talking with ya today." He nodded and with that, took off darting towards his other friend.

Kluke smiled as he and Sahlia climbed up the stairs and she turned around, but froze instantly when she saw Jiro walking towards her. "Um, hi." She greeted weakly.

He halted a foot in front of her and Kluke could feel the atmosphere suddenly shift. It turned normal to dangerous. Dangerous as in when one finds themselves lost in a labyrinth - unable to find a way out. She averted her eyes to the ground, swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat. It wasn't that she was going to cry, but the anxiety was literally constricting her. "Go near Shu ever again – I _will_ kill you." The last four words sounded as if they were coming out from clenched teeth. And Kluke was suddenly struck by the fact that he wasn't joking.

Was this guy insane? If the situation hadn't been so ominous, Kluke would've laughed, but his tone was _dead _serious. To her utter surprise, she found herself responding. "What _is it _with you and the rest of your friends?"

Jiro raised an eyebrow at this, but the glare was still fixated on his face. He took a while to answer, "Just be grateful that you're not like us. You weren't given this curse, now where you?"

"_What?_" But he was already by her and on his way to the next class.

The only reason why both her and her mother had moved to Talta was not only because of the devastating issue with Kluke's father, but also, it was something else as well... Something she'd never announce to the world and here was Jiro talking about a _curse_ of some sort.

It was settled; she _was _determined to get out more information.

In fact, it was possible that Kluke had something in common with the group as well. Something very in common.

Something that was buried and cast away years ago.


End file.
